For FY 2013, the Division of Nursing (DN) will solicit three-year cooperative agreements proposing innovations in Interprofessional Collaborative Practice (IPCP). IPCP environments are comprised of high-functioning diverse professionals with a collective identity who collaborate and communicate effectively to increase access to care and achieve high quality patient and population-centered outcomes. The overarching goal of the NEPQR-IPCP program is to support the development of collaborative practice environments that deliver patient and population-centered quality health care that is safe, efficient, effective and equitable.1 In addition, the NEPQR-IPCP program aims to promote interprofessional team work and team-based care by increasing the number of nurses skilled in interprofessional collaborative practice. The goals of the NEPQR-IPCP program and the purposes of this funding opportunity announcement (FOA) are consistent with the statutory authority provided in Title VIII to provide coordinated care and for nurses to develop skills needed to practice in existing and emerging organized health care systems.

The FY2013 NEPQR-IPCP FOA will solicit projects that create and/or expand practice environments comprised of nursing and other professional disciplines engaged in collaborative practice innovations. IPCP in health-care occurs when health workers from different professional backgrounds join with patients, their families, caregivers and communities to deliver the highest quality of comprehensive care across settings. NEPQR-IPCP spans clinical and non-clinical health-related work, including diagnosis, treatment, surveillance, health communications, and disease management (WHO, 2010).

Projects will be deemed highly competitive if they: (1) cultivate practice environments in which emergent nurse leaders have an opportunity to demonstrate leadership in interprofessional team building, collaborative problem-solving and care-coordination, (2) provide interprofessional clinical training opportunities for nursing students, and (3) demonstrate innovation in IPCP. The proposed NEPQR-IPCP projects must select and employ well-integrated strategies that are rooted in interprofessional education (IPE) research and practice and equip professionals with the resources they need to practice in collaborative team-based environments.

Ideally, NEPQR-IPCP environments: (1) foster increased communication and shared decision-making among practitioners, (2) promote mutual respect and effective dialogue among all members of the care team in care planning and problem solving, and (3) create more efficient and integrated practices that lead to high quality patient and population-centered outcomes.

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